Death and renewal
Many cultures and religions celebrate death as a renewal process. Most use constructs that are highly precise – such as reincarnation and heaven. These may be useful to give meaning to a more abstract idea of renewal. At one level, renewal happens when the person's ideas and life improve the life of others, posthumously. There have been many instances in history in which only the passing of the individual brought a sharper focus on what he or she stood for. At another, it amalgamates and completes the individual's contribution – something akin to the completion of a book – something she has been working on for many decades. Contributions are unique to every individual and these include the memories she helped create, the associations she made happen and the institutions she helped develop. The documentation of these memories, catalyzed by the individual's passing, provides a valuable tool to teach and learn.
For most, the idea that the allocation of time is limited is a harsh truth to learn. As the minutes tick by, as one nears the exhaustion of the allocated quota of time, when a clear mind becomes a burden, one has to fall back on abstraction to close the final chapter. For, it is what one believes she has done that is more important than the noise that envelops the end. This belief is also unique to each individual – created and abetted by the environment – some by chance and others by design. Being true to a belief system helps make the eventual abstraction easier – as history unfolds with less noise. At the end, it is the individual herself, who defines what she stood for and how she nourished the people around her and how she utilized the tools given to her to impart happiness to those she cared for the most. As some strive for legacy, as if leaving an inerasable mark on humanity is somehow important, others simply fade away, measuring their actions against more tangible aspects. Neither is superior to the other.
Life is short but not shorter. The meaning of it is within the full control of those who are living.
